The invention relates to compositions for providing aroma at the time of preparation of a food from a dehydrated food composition, to dehydrated food compositions containing such aromatizing compositions, and to methods of preparing foods from said dehydrated food compositions.
The production of dehydrated food compositions often involves processing conditions such as elevated temperature, which causes loss of desirable food aroma. One known technique of overcoming such loss is to add additional aroma and flavor to dehydrated foodstuffs and beverages. There is an abundance of art on the preparation of natural and artificial aromas and flavors for addition to dehydrated foodstuffs or beverages. Such aromas and flavors are usually complex, comprising many organoleptically active compounds, which combine in effect to create the characterizing aroma of the product. Since aromas and flavors are extremely powerful and typically unstable in their undiluted state they are combined with a carrier to render them stable and easier to handle. The carriers are neutral or complementary in organoleptic impact and do not contribute to the characterizing aroma of the product.
Carriers can be water-soluble solids or liquid. In cases where a liquid carrier is used, it is often encapsulated in a solid, water-soluble matrix to further preserve the characterizing aromas from loss or damage. The carrier, often referred to as a solvent in liquid systems, functions as an aroma base and is used to adjust the level of otherwise powerful aroma and taste substances to levels similar to those that exist in nature. Desirable characteristics of carriers for liquid systems include blandness and miscibility with other liquid carriers and with liquid aromas. Traditional carriers include ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerol, vegetable oil, benzyl alcohol, triacetin, tripropionin, triethyl citrate, and tributyrin.
The aroma constituent of an aromatizing composition characterizes its aroma, i.e., the innate quality that gives the aroma its special attributes among and over other aromas. The aroma constituent may, and often does, include a plurality of aroma ingredients which together result in the characterizing aroma.
When a preparation aroma is desired upon rehydration of such flavors and aromas in a dehydrated food or beverage such composition are limited in effectiveness because of poor aroma release. When a solid carrier is used, the release or aroma is poor because the diffusion of rehydrating liquid into the particle during rehydration inhibits the counter-diffusion of aroma out. In this way the vast majority of the characterizing aroma constituents end up in therehydrating liquid. An aroma burst can be obtained by increasing the loading of characterizing aroma constituents into the carrier but this typically leads to an overwhelmingly strong or unbalanced flavor in the product when consumed.
Likewise poor aroma release is obtained when traditional liquid carriers are used, whether or not they are encapsulated. Those which are water-soluble, suffer the same problems as with soluble solid carriers. The flux of water into the carrier inhibits the diffusion of the aromas out. Furthermore many carriers have a density greater than 1.0 g/cc so they sink in the product during hydration and aromas are released into the rehydrating liquid rather than being released at the surface to effect preparation aroma. Finally those conventional carriers which do float and are insoluble in water are of an oily or fattynature. Though these can be arranged to release aroma at the surface they leave an unsightly and often organoleptically and visually undesirable xe2x80x9cslickxe2x80x9d at the surface of the product.
Natural essential oils from botanical sources are typically intensely flavored and naturally aromatic due their inherent volatility. This makes them an ideal choice as aromatizing constituents for use in the manufacture of food products. Unfortunately, volatile essential oils do not exist in all food sources used to manufacture food products. In addition, essential oils that do occur naturally in some foods are often not sufficiently abundant or readily extracted to permit their economical use in processed foods, and some are not approved for food use. Furthermore, many processed foods, due to their intended use, are not able to be manufactured with natural food ingredients that may contain essential oils.
For example, instant beverage powders typically must quickly and completely dissolve in water without producing insoluble floating or suspended matter or sediment in order to be acceptable to the consumer, and foods or ingredients derived from foods that do contain naturally occurring volatile oils typically are not completely water soluble. In response to these limitations, natural or synthetic flavoring agents are typically used to impart the desired character and identity to such food products. In many cases, especially when economically favored, the flavoring agent may contain a natural essential oil, such as in the widespread use of encapsulated orange oil powders used to flavor imitation or orange-flavored instant beverages. Orange oil is readily and economically pressed from discarded orange peels, an abundant byproduct of the orange juice industry.
One well known example of food processing that results in loss of aroma is the manufacture of xe2x80x9cinstantxe2x80x9d (or soluble) coffee powder. Unless additional steps are taken in its manufacture, there is very little aroma associated with hot coffee beverages prepared from instant coffee powder relative to the aroma of hot coffee beverages prepared by brewing roast and ground coffee. Many attempts have been made to enhance the aroma of instant coffee products, including the use of particular types of coffee beans, the use of particular coffee roasting conditions, and the addition of coffee aroma.
A particular problem which has been noted in connection with instant coffee is the relative lack of coffee aroma that is generated at the time that a hot instant coffee beverage is prepared compared to the coffee aroma that is generated when brewing coffee. This problem of poor preparation aroma (i.e., poor aroma burst or xe2x80x9cabove-cup aromaxe2x80x9d at the time of preparation of an instant coffee beverage) is noted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,368 assigned to Nestec S.A. and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,178 also assigned to Nestec S.A. Each of these patents describes several prior art attempts to provide an initial burst of above-cup coffee aroma, such as by coating soluble coffee powder with an aqueous emulsion of an aromatic coffee substance, or by employing particulate aromatized coffee glass. It is reported in each of these U.S. patents that these and other previously known procedures had not been successful in achieving good preparation aroma. The ""368 patent proposes a method of coextruding capsule particles in which a liquid core material containing aromatized coffee oil is encapsulated within a shell of hardened coffee glass. The shell encapsulates a core of aromatized coffee oil saturated with an inert gas under pressure. The ""178 patent also describes known techniques for aromatizing instant coffee and notes that techniques which may provide good package aroma (i.e., aroma in a coffee container) do not provide good preparation aroma. The ""178 patent reports that the method of the ""368 patent provides excellent entrapment of the aroma but that complex machinery and careful control are required. The ""178 patent proposes a modified method of preparing the aromatized coffee capsule particles which method is said to have the advantage of simplicity.
The amount of preparation aroma which can be achieved by incorporating aromatized coffee particles, such as those described in the ""368 and ""178 patents, in an instant coffee product, depends in part on the amount of such particles employed. Good preparation aroma can be achieved by employing a sufficient amount of the aromatized capsules. However, the more capsules that are employed, the more capsule material, particularly coffee oil, that is introduced. The added coffee oil accumulates as an oil film on the surface of the coffee beverage. Such oil films are readily apparent and are widely known to impair consumer acceptance of instant coffee.
A need arises to provide good food preparation aroma without requiring the use of natural essential oils or the use of amounts of other ingredients, such as vegetable oils, that would adversely affect the properties of foods prepared from the food product compositions. A particular need arises to provide such good preparation aroma for dehydrated hot beverage and soup compositions.
In one aspect, the invention provides a particulate food preparation aroma composition comprising particles having a solid, water soluble matrix, said matrix having physically entrapped therein a food aromatizing composition, said food aromatizing composition comprising a volatile characterizing food aroma constituent other than a natural essential oil, and a volatile organic carrier, said volatile organic carrier being in the liquid state at 25xc2x0 C. and atmospheric pressure, having a vapor pressure of at least 0.01 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., a boiling point in the range of 25 to 250xc2x0 C., a density less than 1.0 g/cc at 25xc2x0 C., and water solubility of not more than about 10% at 25xc2x0 C.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a dehydrated food or beverage product composition comprising a food ingredient and a particulate food preparation aroma ingredient for providing a burst of aroma at the time of preparing a food or beverage from said dehydrated food or beverage product composition, said food preparation aroma ingredient comprising particles having a solid, water soluble matrix, said matrix having physically entrapped therein a food aromatizing composition, said food aromatizing composition comprising a volatile characterizing food aroma constituent other than a natural essential oil, and a volatile organic carrier, said volatile organic carrier being in the liquid state at 25xc2x0 C. and atmospheric pressure, having a vapor pressure of at least 0.01 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., a boiling point in the range of 25 to 250xc2x0 C., a density less than 1.0 g/cc at 25xc2x0 C., and water solubility of not more than about 10% at 25xc2x0 C.
In a still further aspect, the invention provides a method of preparing a food or beverage from a dehydrated food or beverage product composition, which comprises providing a dehydrated food product composition comprising a food ingredient and a food preparation aroma ingredient for providing a burst of aroma at the time of preparing a food or beverage from said dehydrated food or beverage product composition, said food preparation aroma ingredient comprising particles having a solid, water soluble matrix, said matrix having physically entrapped therein a food aromatizing composition, said food aromatizing composition comprising a volatile characterizing food aroma constituent other than a natural essential oil and a volatile organic carrier, said volatile organic carrier being in the liquid state at 25xc2x0 C. and atmospheric pressure, and having a vapor pressure of at least 0.01 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., a boiling point in the range of 25 to 250xc2x0 C., a density less than 1.0 g/cc at 25xc2x0 C., and water solubility of not more than 10% at 25xc2x0 C. and hydrating said food product composition at a food preparation temperature.
The term xe2x80x9cfoodxe2x80x9d when used in conjunction with xe2x80x9cbeveragexe2x80x9d, such as in the expression xe2x80x9cfood or beveragexe2x80x9d is used to distinguish a food product such as soup from a beverage product such as a coffee beverage. The term xe2x80x9cfoodxe2x80x9d when not used in conjunction with the term xe2x80x9cbeveragexe2x80x9d, such as in the expression xe2x80x9cfood product compositionxe2x80x9d includes beverages.
The expressions xe2x80x9cnatural food aromaxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csynthetic food aromaxe2x80x9d as used herein have the same meanings, respectively, as xe2x80x9cnatural flavorxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cartificial flavorxe2x80x9d as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, paragraph 101.22 and (a)(3) and (a)(1).
The release of aroma during food preparation affects the desirability and enjoyment of most foodstuffs. The intensity of preparation aroma can significantly impact the consumer""s perception of product freshness and quality. Heightened preparation aroma intensity can usually be achieved by simply increasing the amount of volatile aroma formulated into a food product. However, the normal amount must typically be increased many fold to produce a noticeable effect on preparation aroma. Unfortunately, this approach often leads to a product having overwhelmingly strong taste or aroma during consumption. The present invention provides a more intense preparation aroma while seeking to avoid deleterious effects on quality. In one embodiment, a particulate aroma composition may be used to provide the consumer with two distinct and desirable aroma experiences. Intense aroma, derived from the high release efficiency of the novel aroma system described herein, may be perceived during food preparation, and normal-strength aroma and flavor, more typical of widely used low release efficiency conventional aroma systems, may be perceived during subsequent consumption.
The invention combines a volatile food aroma other than a natural essential oil, with a volatile, organic carrier resulting in a volatile aromatizing composition for use in dehydrated food product compositions. The invention enables the production of compositions which can be viewed as synthetic versions of essential oils in a form which can be used to deliver preparation aroma in processed food applications where use of natural essential oils is discouraged or prohibited due to one or more of the availability, cost, or product compatibility issues discussed above. The use of a novel volatile carrier, having the present combination of physical properties is key to the present invention and clearly distinguishes it from flavoring agents, either natural or artificial, which utilize traditional carriers. Traditional carriers are either too water soluble, have density greater than 1 g/cc, or are not sufficiently volatile to provide the preparation aroma impact desired while avoiding oily surface residues and potentially adverse effects on flavor. The volatile aromatizing composition is biphasic with water and has a temporary existence at the temperature of food preparation. This creates a beneficial non-equilibrium environment in which both the aroma and carrier evaporate from floating oil-like droplets that will disappear from the surface of a beverage or other food product, particularly those prepared by combining an aqueous liquid such as water or milk with a dry-mix food product composition. The volatile aromatizing composition is physically entrapped, preferably by encapsulating, in solid, water soluble particles to reduce evaporation and oxidation during storage. The particulate aroma composition is readily incorporated into and packaged with dehydrated food product compositions, particularly dry-mix food compositions such as hot or cold dry-mix beverage or soup compositions.
The use of the present volatile organic carriers may provide several advantages. Since the volatile organic carrier is at most sparingly water-soluble and has a density less than the density of water, it will float to the surface of food products such as aqueous beverages, where it can release aroma directly into the air above the food product at the time that it is prepared. This effect is desirable since it will serve to minimize loss of aroma by dissolution, and maximize the intensity of aroma perceived by the consumer. Also, since volatile carriers rapidly evaporate along with the aroma, they do not leave behind an undesirable oil slick on the surface of the food as occurs in applications that utilize non-volatile carriers such as vegetable oil.
Volatile carriers typically also have much lower freezing point and viscosity than edible oils, typically vegetable oils, which allow them to be aromatized by direct contact with cold or frozen flavors. An example is contact of the carrier with a coffee aroma frost. Aromatization at low temperature can be advantageous to reduce loss of very volatile aromas by evaporation and to reduce loss of labile aromas by thermal or oxidative degradation. Other solvents that have lower freezing points than edible oils, such as triacetin, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, or ethanol, typically have high water solubility and/or density greater than water, properties that will tend to reduce initial aroma burst. Another advantage is that the volatile organic carriers may be used as a solvent to extract aroma directly from natural sources. They can then be easily distilled and condensed to facilitate concentration or fractionation of aromas.
The invention has particular utility in providing good above-cup aroma in the preparation of a hot aqueous beverage, such as coffee, cappuccino, tea, or cocoa, from a powdered instant beverage composition without adversely affecting other properties of the beverage. Such beverages are generally prepared by combining the powder with hot water or milk at elevated temperature, typically at about 75-100xc2x0 C., usually at about 85-100xc2x0 C.
It is an essential feature of the invention that the food aromatizing composition includes a volatile organic carrier for the food aroma that is volatile at the temperature of food preparation. More than one such carrier may be employed. The carrier has a vapor pressure of at least 0.01 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C. and a boiling point in the range of from 25xc2x0 C. to 250xc2x0 C., and is in the liquid state at 25xc2x0 C. and atmospheric pressure. Accordingly, the carrier can be vaporized at the food product preparation temperature of the food product composition which utilizes the aromatized carrier. The carrier preferably has a vapor pressure of at least 0.5 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., more preferably at least 2 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., and most preferably at least 5 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C. For hot beverage and soup compositions, preferred carriers have a boiling point in the range of 25-200xc2x0 C., and more preferred carriers have a boiling point in the range of 25-100xc2x0 C. For cold food product compositions such as beverages and desserts, preferred carriers have a boiling point in the range of 25-50xc2x0 C.
Density of the carrier is sufficiently low to enable droplets of the aromatized carrier to float in order to enhance the aroma burst. Carrier density values herein are at 25xc2x0 C. unless otherwise stated. Carrier density is suitably less than 1.0 g/cc, preferably from 0.7 to 0.99 g/cc, and more preferably from 0.8 to 0.95 g/cc.
Water solubility of the carrier is preferably sufficiently low to minimize loss of aroma burst due to dissolution of the carrier into an aqueous liquid utilized to prepare the food product. However, in many instances a good aroma burst can be obtained when the carrier is partially water soluble. For example, a good aroma burst can often be achieved with such carriers when the aromatized particles float, particularly if the absolute density of the floating particles is not more than about 0.95 g/cc. In general, water solubility of the carrier is not greater than about 10% at 25xc2x0 C., and is preferably not greater than about 5% at 25xc2x0 C. Most preferably, the carrier is water insoluble.
Suitable volatile carriers include the following:
The volatile carriers suitable for this invention are preferably bland, but may have an inherent aroma. The amount of aroma generated by the carrier is generally small relative to the aroma generated by the food aroma constituent of the volatile aroma system of the invention. In some cases, the inherent aroma of the carrier will be essentially undetectable. In any event, inherent aroma of a volatile carrier may be reduced by conventional deodorizing techniques such as by adsorption, extraction, or distillation. However, it is possible to select a volatile carrier which has an inherent aroma which is appropriate for a food or beverage prepared from the food or beverage product composition in which the carrier is utilized. For example, furan and a variety of alkyl substituted furans such as 2-methylfuran, 2-ethylfuran, and 2,5dimethylfuran occur naturally in coffee at extremely low levels in combination with a wide variety of other compounds, and, when obtained from coffee, have coffee compatible aroma. These furans do not occur naturally in coffee in sufficient quantity to be used economically as volatile carriers, but they can be readily obtained from other sources. A carrier with a fruity aroma, such as non-deodorized d-limomene which has a mild citrus aroma, is a suitable carrier for aromas for dehydrated fruit-flavored food or beverage products.
The amount of carrier in the aromatizing composition may vary widely. In general, the carrier is present in an amount of at least 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the carrier and the aroma constituent. Ordinarily the amount of carrier will exceed 35% by weight on the same basis and will often exceed that of the aroma constituent such that it will be present in an amount of more than 50% by weight based on the total weight of the carrier and the aroma constituent. Correspondingly, the amount of the aroma constituent may also vary widely, suitably up to 65 or 75% by weight based on the total weight of the carrier and aroma constituent and will often be present in an amount of less than 50% by weight on the same basis.
The volatile food aroma constituent of the invention may include any synthetic or natural food aroma other than a natural essential oil. Natural volatile food aroma compounds other than natural essential oils may be obtained from vegetables, fruits, seafood, milk, meat, spices, beans, nuts, seeds, cereal grains, flowers, roots, tubers, etc.
The food aroma constituent can be incorporated into the food aromatizing composition in any convenient way such as by simple mixing with the carrier. The aroma constituent is usually in a liquid or solid state but may be gaseous. For use in instant coffee products, the aroma constituent preferably is or includes natural coffee aroma gas, liquid or frost obtained from coffee processing. It is a distinct advantage of the invention that because the volatile carriers generally have a low freezing point, the carrier can be aromatized without heating to an elevated temperature. This is advantageous because food aroma is generally adversely affected by higher temperatures. The ability to aromatize without raising temperature above ambient is particularly advantageous in connection with coffee products because it permits aromatization of a liquid carrier by simply introducing coffee aroma frost into the carrier at room temperature or at a lower temperature down to the melting point of the aroma frost.
The food aroma is preferably soluble in the carrier. Where the aroma is not completely soluble, one or more suspending agents, emulsifiers, or co-solvents may be included to form a homogenous mixture, prior to physically entrapping the aromatizing composition in solid particles. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cmixturexe2x80x9d as applied to the aromatizing composition, is intended to include compositions in which the aroma constituent is dissolved, suspended, or emulsified.
Preferred food aromas include food aromas for liquid food products, particularly instant soups and beverages, more particularly hot instant soups and beverages. However, the particulate aromatizing agents of the invention can be used to aromatize other food products, such as instant puddings and other desserts, and various frozen food products such as frozen pizza that would normally be reconstituted with hot water or milk or heated by the consumer prior to consumption. Accordingly, the food aroma can be, for example, a cheese aroma suitable for cheese-containing food products. Suitable food aromas include the following:
for hot soluble coffee-based beverages: coffee, hazelnut, amaretto, chocolate, cream and vanilla;
for hot soluble tea-based beverages: raspberry, cream and vanilla;
for hot cocoa-based beverages: raspberry, amaretto, cream, chocolate and vanilla;
for hot soups: mushroom, beef and chicken;
for cold beverages: coffee, tea, cherry, grape, and strawberry;
for dessert products: raspberry, chocolate, butterscotch, cherry, grape, strawberry, banana, and vanilla;
for other products: cheese, cream, seafood, meat, garlic and onion.
The aromatizing composition may also include one or more optional constituents such as a non-volatile edible fat or oil, a surfactant, a wetting agent, a foaming agent, an extremely volatile solvent, a propellant, dissolved edible solids, an antioxidant, or an aroma precursor. Although greater amounts may be used, the total amount of such additional constituents will not usually be more than about 100%, and preferably not more than about 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the carrier and aroma constituent. Suitable non-volatile edible fats or oils include coffee oil or other predominantly triglyceride oil used as a source of flavor or as a flavor solvent. A surfactant acts as a spreading agent or emulsifier to control the droplet size of the aromatizing composition and its degree of spreading on the surface of a food product. Suitable highly volatile solvents such as acetone and acetaldehyde act as a co-solvent for the volatile food aroma and modify the rate of evaporation of the aroma delivery system. A dissolved or entrapped propellant gas such as air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and the like, or a gas generator such as chemical carbonation reagents, may be included to increase buoyancy or to accelerate aroma release and evaporation. Dissolved edible solids increase the viscosity of the composition. Antioxidant additives such as BHA, BHT, TBHQ, vitamins A, C and E and derivatives, and various plant extracts such as those containing carotenoids, tocopherols or flavonoids having antioxidant properties, may be included to increase the shelf-life of the aromatized carrier. Aroma precursors that would not react during storage but would react to generate aroma during food preparation may also be included in the aromatizing composition.
The nature and amount of each optional ingredient that is included in the aromatizing composition is also dependent on the food product intended to be aromatized. For example, where a coffee oil or aromatized coffee oil is selected as an optional ingredient for an agent for aromatizing an instant coffee product, the amount of such coffee oil is preferably less than an amount that would give rise to an undesirable film of oil on the surface of the instant coffee beverage.
To facilitate floating of particles of the aromatizing composition on the surface of an aqueous beverage, density of the composition is suitably at least 0.6 and less than 1.0 g/cc and preferably from 0.7 to 0.99 g/cc and more preferably from 0.8 to 0.95 g/cc.
Although substantially limited by the physical properties of the carrier, the aromatizing compositions of the present invention may be formulated in a variety of ways. For example, natural or artificial flavoring agents, or mixtures thereof, may be used in combination with natural or synthetic carriers, or mixtures thereof, depending on the intended food product application and availability and cost of these ingredients. Some of the novel carriers disclosed can be obtained from natural, typically botanical sources, while others can only be obtained from synthetic, typically petroleum, sources. The same applies to the flavoring agents which are combined with the carriers.
In some applications, such as where the aromatizing composition will be used in an all-natural processed food product, flavoring agents and carriers must both be naturally sourced. In other, less restricted, applications, some or all of the components used to formulate the composition may be obtained from synthetic sources to alleviate limitations on availability or cost. Accordingly, the aromatizing compositions of the present invention may be produced, in forms described by U.S. labeling law, as a natural flavor or an artificial flavor. They may also be produced, in forms described by the convention commonly used in Europe, as a natural flavor or a nature identical flavor.
The aromatizing composition is physically entrapped in solid particles to protect the volatile carrier and volatile aroma from evaporation and deterioration. The aromatizing composition is preferably physically entrapped in solid particles by encapsulation, but may be simply absorbed such as by combining with an absorbent powdered food ingredient such as maltodextrin, or otherwise physically entrapped. Encapsulation is preferred because of the enhanced protection against evaporation and oxidation inherent in encapsulation. Encapsulation or other physical entrapment may be accomplished by any conventional technique, including those discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,339,368 and 5,750,178 mentioned above, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference. A useful encapsulation technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,033 and in Example 5 below. Other suitable encapsulation techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,574, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,852, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein.
In general, any method of physical entrapment can be used that is effective in converting the aromatizing composition into particulate form. Preferred methods include co-extrusion, centrifugal co-extrusion, submerged nozzle co-extrusion, and the like which can be employed to produce a particulate containing a single continuous droplet of aromatizing composition, the size of which can be controlled to optimize evaporation characteristics. Less preferred methods include extrusion, spray drying, freeze-drying, absorption, adsorption, granulation, fluidized bed coating, inclusion complexation, and liposome entrapment. Any particulate produced by these methods that have undesirably small particle size or that contain finely emulsified and dispersed droplets may be advantageously agglomerated or granulated to increase the size and buoyancy of the particulate or to modify its dissolution rate in a food product.
The encapsulating material or the matrix material making up the solid particles into which the carrier is sorbed, may be any water soluble food grade material. Preferred water soluble encapsulation and matrix materials include soluble coffee solids, soluble tea solids, sugars, hydrolyzed starch products such as maltodextrins and corn syrup solids, hydrocolloids, and hydrolyzed proteins, as well as mixtures of these materials.
The particle size of the particulate aroma composition can vary widely. For most dehydrated food and beverage compositions, the particle size is suitably 0.1-10 mm, preferably 0.5-5 mm, and more preferably 1-3 mm.
For dehydrated beverage products, density of the particulate aroma composition is preferably sufficiently low to enable the particles to float in order to enhance the aroma release. However, in many instances a good aroma burst may be obtained for beverages when density of the aromatized particles is greater than that of water. For example, a good aroma burst can often be obtained with such particles when a hot liquid is poured into a particulate dehydrated beverage composition, or when the density of the particulate aromatizing composition or the density of the carrier, is sufficiently low to enable the particles or the carrier to rise very rapidly to the surface of the hot liquid. For dehydrated beverage products, absolute density of the aromatized particles, which determines if the particle will float in water, is preferably 0.2 to 0.99 g/cc, more preferably 0.3 to 0.95 g/cc, and still more preferably 0.4 to 0.9 g/cc, and bulk density which determines packing efficiency and is affected by particle size and shape, is preferably from 0.1 to 0.9 g/cc, more preferably from 0.2 to 0.8 g/cc, and still more preferably 0.3 to 0.7 g/cc. For non-beverage products, the absolute density of the aromatized particles may be higher than the density of water since the ability of the particles to float is not important. Similarly, their bulk density may be greater than 1.0 g/cc.
Bulk density of the particulate aroma composition is determined by pouring about 2-3 mL of the particles into a 10 mL graduated cylinder, vibrating until no further settling takes place, accurately noting both weight and volume and dividing the former by the latter to calculate bulk density to two decimal places. Absolute density is determined by adding very fine sand to the particles remaining in the cylinder after bulk density measurement and vibrating until all void spaces between the aromatized particles are filled with sand and no further settling takes place. The absolute density of the sand was first measured by filling a 10 mL cylinder with sand in the absence of aromatized particulates, vibrating until no further settling took place, accurately noting both weight and volume. The absolute density of the sand was calculated by dividing weight by volume to give a value of 1.66 g/cc. Knowledge of the absolute density of sand, individual weights of sand and particulates in the cylinder, and measurement of the volume and weight of the sand-particulate mixture allows calculation of the absolute density of the particles. Increased buoyancy can be obtained by gasifying the carrier, the solid matrix material, or both.
The amount of aromatizing composition present in the particulate aromatizing composition can vary considerably, but is generally maximized because it is generally the aroma constituent, and not the solid encapsulant or matrix that is desired to be incorporated into the food product. The aromatizing composition is preferably present in an amount of from about 1 to about 95% and more preferably from 10 to about 80% by weight based on the weight of the particulate aromatizing composition. However, where the solid material is also a component of the food productxe2x80x94such as where the solid particle is soluble coffee and the food product is a coffee beverage, the amount of solid material can be much larger. This can be very advantageous, e.g., in facilitating processing such as encapsulation. For such food products, the amount of solid material in the particulate aromatizing composition is suitably up to 95 or 99% by weight.
It is preferred, for simplicity, to utilize a single volatile carrier, but more than one may be employed in which case it is preferred that the selected carriers are miscible with one another. On the other hand, the aroma constituent is often made up of a plurality of aroma compounds as illustrated in several of the examples below.
The amount of the particulate aromatized composition suitable for incorporation into a dehydrated food product composition can vary widely, depending on several factors including the nature of the food composition, the nature and strength of the volatile food aroma, the nature and inherent aroma of the volatile carrier, and the nature and amount of the solid entrapping material and of any extraneous material. In general, the amount added is sufficient to provide good preparation aroma. In some cases, the dehydrated food product composition can be made up entirely of the particulate aromatized composition. For example, a furan carrier liquid, aromatized with a coffee frost, and encapsulated in soluble coffee capsules, can be formulated to constitute an instant coffee product. Accordingly, the particulate aromatized composition may constitute up to 100% by weight of the dehydrated food product composition. However, for most applications, it is suitable if the particulate aromatizing composition is present in an amount of from 0.05 to 50%, and for beverages typically 0.1-10% by weight, of the dehydrated food composition.
The dehydrated food product compositions in which the particulate aromatized composition of the present invention can be utilized can vary widely. Such compositions often include, in addition to one or more food ingredients, one or more optional agents such as bulking agents, fillers, sweeteners, creamers, flavoring agents, coloring agents, pH adjusting agents and buffers, gasifying agents, and the like. For particulate food compositions, the aromatized particles can be simply mixed with the food composition. In that event, it is preferred to match the density of the aromatized particles to that of the particulate dry-mix food composition in order to minimize segregation. For non-particulate food products, the aromatized particles can be included in the food product in any convenient way such as by physical incorporation, or as a separate ingredient which can be added by the consumer.
Foods are prepared from the dehydrated food product composition by rehydrating at a food preparation temperature. Hot beverages and soups are generally prepared at temperature of about 75-100xc2x0 C. while cold beverages are generally prepared at temperatures ranging from 0 to 25xc2x0 C. Iced beverages are often prepared by pouring a hot beverage solution over ice, in which case the initial burst of aroma is generated when the initial hot beverage solution is prepared. Desserts such as instant puddings and desserts are normally prepared with boiling or near boiling water.